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• Weather data for 31 Mar 1945

• USS Tirante sank a Japanese sail with gunfire. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
• 50 Japanese Army Renraku-tei special attack boats sank American landing ship LSM-12 at Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
• German forces began withdrawing from the Netherlands. ww2dbase [TH]
• As the troops of the French First Army crossed the Rhine River near Speyer, Germany, they became the first French troops to attack across the river since Napoleon Bonaparte. Meanwhile, US Third Army reached Siegen, Germany. ww2dbase [Main Article | TH]
• Soviet forces crossed into the Germany border from Sopron, Hungary. ww2dbase [TH]
• Allied commander Eisenhower demanded German surrender over radio. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
• Otto Skorzeny was ordered to go to the "Alpine Fortress". ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
• Soviet troops captured Ratibor and Katscher, Germany (now Raciborz and Kietrz, Poland). ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

• On Heinrich Himmler's orders, men led by SS-Sturmbannführer Heinz Macher attempted to use tank mines to demolish the SS castle of Schloß Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany. The attempt only damaged the southeast tower, while the rest of the castle, was damaged by fires. The 9,000 SS Ehrenring (SS Honor Rings) stored at the castle were taken away by Macher and were buried at a secret location in nearby woods. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

• USS Sunfish departed Apra, Guam, Mariana Islands for her eleventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

• USS Cero departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her seventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Main Article | Facility | CPC]

• USS Yorktown (Essex-class) pounded Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands and its surrounding islets in softening-up strikes. ww2dbase [Main Article | Event | DS]
• Light carrier Ryuho's anti-aircraft weapons fired on attacking US aircraft at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Main Article | Tabular Record of Movement | CPC]

• USS Spot, misidentified as a hostile submarine, was attacked by American destroyer USS Case; USS Spot did not suffer any damage by the two salvos fired. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

• Garland completed her refitting at Devonport, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]

31 Mar 1945 Interactive Map